Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 47.djvu/613

Rh. As in other cases, incidents in the life of the national deity form its first subject-matter—how God created various things on successive days and rested on the seventh day. Accounts of his personal doings characterize the next books, and are combined with accounts of the doings of Adam and the patriarchs—biographical accounts. In what we are told of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we see biography dominant and history unobtrusive. But with the transition from a nomadic to a settled life, and the growth of a nation, the historical element comes to the front. Doubtless for a long time the genealogies and the leading events were matters of common traditional knowledge; though we may fairly assume that the priest-class or cultured class were those who especially preserved such knowledge. Later times give some evidence of the connection, as instance these sentences from Kuenen and Neubauer.

"In the eighth century the prophet of Jahveh has become a writer."

"Upon their return from Babylon, Ezra, called 'the skilled scribe,' made disciples who were called sopherim, 'scribes,' and whose business it was to multiply the copies of the Pentateuch and to interpret it. 'Scribe' and scholar' in those days were synonymous."

A few relevant facts are afforded by the ancient books of India. Describing some of their contents Weber says:—

History "can only fittingly be considered as a branch of poetry," both on account of form and on account of subject-matter.

Kalhana, who wrote a history of Kashmir, in 12th cent. was "more poet than historian."

"In some princely houses, family records, kept by the domestic priests, appear to have been preserved."

From ancient Egyptian inscriptions come various evidences of these relationships. How naturally the biographico-historical element of literature grows out of primitive worship we see in the fact—allied to a fact above named concerning the Abyssinians,—that in an Egyptian tomb there was given in the ante-room an account of the occupant's life; and, naturally, that which was done on a small scale with the undistinguished man was done on a large scale with the distinguished man. We read in Brugsch that—

The Royal gods of the Egyptians, who "are referred to as kings," "have their individual history, which the holy scribes wrote down in the books of the temples."

Here are kindred passages from Bunsen and Duncker:—

Diodorus says "the priests had in their sacred books, transmitted from the olden time, and handed down by them to their successors in office, written descriptions of all their kings." "In these an account is given of every king of his physical powers and disposition, and of the exploits of each in the order of time."

Priests daily read to the king accounts of the achievements of